memeorandum: Trump targets Cheney as he unites with McCarthy (Michael Warren/CNN)

9:05 PM ET, January 28, 2021

Top Items:

GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser — Axios has a small squib about “The Mischief Makers,” a handful of idiosyncratic congressional backbenchers who make trouble for their respective party leadership. The leading Democratic mischief-maker is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Discussion: Business Insider, Politico, CAIR, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Root, CBS News, The Hill, The RFAngle, The Independent, Raw Story, IJR and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:

Marjorie Taylor Greene penned conspiracy theory that a laser beam from space started deadly 2018 California wildfire — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has done little to stop Greene's ascension in the Republican Party — In November 2018, California was hit with the worst wildfire in the state's history.

CNN:

Marjorie Taylor Greene removes social media posts amid scrutiny of past controversial comments — (CNN)Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has removed dozens of Facebook posts from 2018 and 2019 in which she endorsed fringe conspiracy theories and repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians.

Discussion: The Independent, Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, Washington Post, The Intellectualist, HuffPost and NPR

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
The GOP struck a bad bargain. That's how it got stuck with Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Discussion: USA Today, CNN, Florida Phoenix and Roll Call

Philip Elliott / TIME:
Why Republicans Can't Win on QAnon-Supporting Marjorie Taylor Greene

Discussion: CBS News, CNN and Associated Press

Politico:
Capitol forces plead for permanent barrier as Pelosi warns ‘the enemy is within’

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, CNN, HuffPost, Roll Call, The Guardian, NBC4 Washington and WITF

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Pelosi condemns GOP for overlooking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's incendiary comments

Discussion: ABC News, Fox News, RedState, Raw Story, CNN, WTOP, CBS News, New York Post, National Review, Forbes, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Business Insider, IJR, Common Dreams, Reuters, Daily Kos and Informed Comment

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:

Janet Yellen Received $810K In Speaking Fees From Hedge Fund Embroiled In GameStop Saga — Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen received more than $800,000 in speaking fees from a hedge fund that has become embroiled in the saga over stock trades for video game retailer GameStop, according to her financial disclosures.

Discussion: NBC News, Townhall, Trending Politics, Popular Information, RedState, New York Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The National Pulse, Bloomberg and The Guardian

Matt Levine / Bloomberg:

How Will the GameStop Game Stop? — Plus a little AMC. — Matt Levine is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering finance. He was an editor of Dealbreaker, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Slate, Above the Law, Reason and New York Post

Alexis Goldstein / Markets Weekly:

What happened with GameStop? — It's not David vs Goliath. It's Goliath vs. Goliath, with David as a fig leaf — This is a free post from Markets Weekly, a newsletter by former Wall Street professional Alexis Goldstein. If you appreciated this post, please consider signing up here for premium access to all posts.

Discussion: NBC News, American Prospect, New York Times, CNBC, Vox and Common Dreams, more at Techmeme »

Jordan Pearson / VICE:

Robinhood Stops Users From Trading GameStop Stocks, Other Reddit YOLO Picks — With the market in chaos, even Robinhood has now turned on retail investors pumping dark-horse stocks. — Jordan Pearson — Robinhood, the fee-free investment app that has helped Redditors …

Under the Hood:
Keeping Customers Informed Through Market Volatility

Robert Kuttner / American Prospect:
What We've Learned From the Robinhood Affair

Discussion: National Review, Breitbart, CNN and HotAir

Sabrina Eaton / Plain Dealer:

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan won't run for U.S. Senate next year — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Champaign County GOP Rep. Jim Jordan on Thursday announced that he won't run for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Republican Rob Portman's upcoming retirement, a decision that opens the field …

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Times, Politico, Fox News, CNBC, Associated Press, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, fox8.com, Conservative News Today, The Hill and New York Post

CNN:
Jim Jordan won't run for Ohio US Senate seat in 2022

Discussion: Fox News, Talking Points Memo, HotAir, Mock Paper Scissors and Gothamist

Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed News:
This Doctor Became The Face Of Ohio's Coronavirus Response. Some Democrats Want To Make Her A Senator.

Discussion: IJR

Politico:

‘Betrayed’: Republicans urge Biden to change course on stimulus — When a bipartisan Senate coalition helped clinch a coronavirus relief bill last year after months of gridlock, it was supposed to be a model for governing in the Biden era. But now Democrats' surprise takeover of the Senate threatens to leave the group behind.

Discussion: HuffPost, CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, Breitbart, Washington Monthly, Washington Times, Bangor Daily News, Associated Press, BuzzFeed News and Bloomberg

Politico:
Democrats ready to plow ahead on Covid relief

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Fox News, What The Fuck …, The Hill, Forbes, IJR, Roll Call, HotAir and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Drew Florio / Kevin McCarthy for Congress:

Statement Following Meeting With President Trump … Follow Kevin … 661-324-6914 — PO Box 12667 — Bakersfield, CA 93389 — *By adding your name, you become a member of Team Kevin McCarthy. By the choice of communication channels you either choose/agree to receive emails or text messages or both.

Discussion: The RFAngle, IJR and National Review

Michael Warren / CNN:
Trump targets Cheney as he unites with McCarthy

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill and Forbes

Marisa Schultz / Fox News:
Trump meets with McCarthy in Florida to plan GOP House takeover in 2022

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Politico, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, CBS News, Roll Call, Breitbart, IJR, The Independent and The Daily Caller

Chris Stirewalt / Los Angeles Times:

Op-Ed: I called Arizona for Biden on Fox News. Here's what I learned — The New York Evening Express was no great shakes as a newspaper. But in 1886, when the New York Times ran the obituary of one of the Express' former owners, Erastus Brooks, it had to give credit where it was due.

Discussion: Raw Story, Sputnik News, Twitchy, Washington Examiner, Patterico's Pontifications, The Hill, Washington Post, Power Line, Deadline, Mediaite, TVNewser and The Wrap

New York Times:

Covid-19 Live Updates: Vaccine Stocks Dwindle in the E.U. — President Biden took executive action to expand health care access by strengthening the Affordable Care Act and reopening enrollment. He also moved to protect reproductive rights and expand abortion access.

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, HuffPost, The Hill and THE CITY

Dylan Scott / Vox:
Biden just took his first step to expand health coverage

Discussion: Yahoo News, The Guardian, New York Times, The Independent, Fox News and Bloomberg

The White House:
FACT SHEET: President Biden to Sign Executive Orders Strengthening Americans' Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Daily Signal, Washington Examiner, ABC News, National Review, ACA Signups, Breitbart, New York Times, Washington Post, Daily Kos, NPR, Mother Jones, The Week, Reason and Balloon Juice

Sam Levine / The Guardian:

Republicans considering more than 100 bills to restrict voting rights — Restrictions come on the heels of an election in which federal and state officials called it ‘the most secure in US history’ — After an election filled with misinformation and lies about fraud …

Discussion: Just The News, The American Independent, Brennan Center for Justice, Lawfare and The Hill

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Democrats need to accept the implications of GOP radicalization

Discussion: The Atlantic, Opinion Today, The Independent and Daily Kos

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

New York Times's star coronavirus reporter was disciplined for ‘repeating a racist slur’ to students — The publication says it investigated complaints made about longtime health reporter Donald McNeil Jr.'s behavior on a 2019 trip with students — The New York Times on Thursday said it investigated and …

The Daily Beast:
Star NY Times Reporter Accused of Using ‘N-Word,’ Making Other Racist Comments

Discussion: New York Times, New York Post, Mediaite and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:

Trump officials moved most Bureau of Land Management staffers out of D.C. More than 87 percent quit instead. — The decision to relocate BLM headquarters to Colorado and redistribute jobs in the West prompted 287 employees to retire or find other jobs — The Trump administration's decision …

Jesse McKinley / New York Times:

N.Y. Severely Undercounted Virus Deaths in Nursing Homes, Report Says — The state attorney general, Letitia James, said the Cuomo administration likely omitted thousands of Covid-19 deaths of nursing home residents. — ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State attorney general accused …

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

GOP senator stocks office with 13 former Trump staffers — As Trump administration alums face a tough job market after the Capitol riot, one new Republican Senate office has turned into a full-employment factory for Trump officials looking for their next gig.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Mock Paper Scissors and Raw Story

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Rob Portman's Exit Interview — He worries about the Trump trial's precedent, but he's bullish to serene on the Republican future. — Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio isn't running for re-election in 2022. This is not good. He is a rightly respected figure. He tries to advance serious legislation.

Politico:

Biden to NYT: Drop dead — Welcome to POLITICO's 2021 Transition Playbook, your guide to the first 100 days of the Biden administration. — JOE BIDEN and Republicans are united on at least one thing: They can't stand The New York Times editorial board. — The august newspaper of record …

Discussion: Fox News, IJR, Media Matters for America and The Daily Caller

Stephen Groves / Associated Press:

Noem refuses to say whether Biden victory was free and fair — PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem refused to acknowledge Thursday that Democrat Joe Biden defeated her close Republican ally Donald Trump in a free and fair election, instead using the opportunity to criticize Biden's actions since taking office.

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams and Political Wire

Charlie Sykes / Bulwark+:

Tucker Carlson and The Deep Lie — No, conservatives are not being “muzzled.” — 9 hr ago — The Trump era has introduced us to the concepts of the “Deep State,” and “Fake News.” — But perhaps it's time to introduce something new: The Deep Lie. — The Deep Lie needs to be distinguished …

ProPublica:

“This Is War”: Inside the Secret Chat Where Far-Right Extremists Devised Their Post-Capitol Plans — Chats from a private Telegram group obtained by ProPublica show how a suspect tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection tried to organize a self-styled militia. The hidden proliferation of such groups worries experts.

Lara Seligman / Politico:

Pentagon halts Trump appointments to advisory boards — The Pentagon has suspended the processing of a number of former President Donald Trump's last-minute appointees to defense advisory boards as the new administration looks to weed out loyalists to the former president.

Discussion: Raw Story, Butterflies and Wheels and Political Wire

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

RNC invites Trump to speak at spring meeting — The Republican National Committee is planning to invite former President Donald Trump to its upcoming spring donor meeting, according to a person familiar with preparations for the event. — The RNC is also expected to invite …

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Tim Carman / Washington Post:

Subway's tuna is not tuna, but a ‘mixture of various concoctions,’ a lawsuit alleges — Subway describes its tuna sandwich as “freshly baked bread” layered with “flaked tuna blended with creamy mayo then topped with your choice of crisp, fresh veggies.” It's a description designed to activate …

Discussion: New York Post, CBS News, Fox News, Law & Crime, Eater and Boing Boing

Joseph Choi / The Hill:

Man arrested with gun, ammunition near Capitol — A man was arrested on Wednesday after it was discovered there was a handgun in his vehicle parked near the U.S. Capitol, authorities said. — Dennis Westover, 71, of South Charleston, W.Va., was arrested on Wednesday …

Discussion: United States Capitol Police, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

In Afghanistan, Follow the White High-Tops and You'll Find the Taliban — The sneakers have been worn by Afghan fighters over multiple generations, but they've become a gruesome marker of the Taliban's violent insurgency. — MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan — The unassuming white leather high-top sneakers …

Adam Bernstein / Washington Post:

Cicely Tyson, actress who gave electrifying portrayals of resilient Black women, dies at 96 — Cicely Tyson, an actress whose electrifying portrayals of resilient Black women — foremost in the 1974 TV movie “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” but also as Coretta Scott King and Harriet Tubman …

Discussion: New York Times

VI Free Press / Virgin Islands Free Press:

Former Vice President Mike Pence Escapes Harsh Media Glare With St. Croix Vacation — CHRISTIANSTED — The now-former vice president could have gone anywhere. — But to get away and just feel safe, Mike Pence — who left office eight days ago — chose St. Croix.

Discussion: theslot.jezebel.com, The Independent, Raw Story and Crooks and Liars